On Humor, About Humor: Writer Mike Reiss

Mike Reiss has been behind The Simpsons and The Critic cartoons series, plus the infamous Webtoon adventures of Queer Duck. In an article from Georgetown University's The Hoya, "Simpsons Writer and Producer Discusses Career in Comedy," Reiss makes an interesting comment about the mysteries of creating humor.

"Reiss said years of writing comedy have shown him that jokes that do not necessarily appear funny sometimes receive the largest laughs. He pointed to The Tonight Show� where he wrote a joke for Johnny Carson about Joan Rivers and McDonald's Chicken McNuggets.

"Reiss said that to his surprise, the joke received one of the longest laughs in Tonight Show history. Reiss attributed the joke to a willingness to experiment and make mistakes. According to Reiss, sometimes even professional comedians don't get laughs.

"'Try everything,'� he said."

Related: Queer Duck